Chapter Text
The loud ring of the bell pierced the ears of the students in the hallway, signalling the end of break and forcing them to move to their next lesson. The slam of lockers and shoes scuffing the floor followed, and the murmurs of students as they gossiped down the hallway.
“Did you hear? Principal Melgren isn’t coming back.” Two students walked quickly to their next lesson, clutching books close to their chests as they discussed the hot topic.
“I heard he’s been secretly dating one of the teachers,” another student whispered at a group congregating by the lockers.
“Nah, he’s definitely been fired!” One shrugged, a popular boy who was known for making up stories. Jack Barlowe.
The current gossip of the school was the mysterious disappearance of Principal Melgren. He had been the principal of St. Basgiath for over twenty years, and now all of a sudden he’s not coming back. A student had overheard the teachers talking in the staff room and immediately spread the news like wildfire. Now, the rumors had gone from him calling in sick to being fired to a scandal and so on. None of the students knew what was going to happen, and quite frankly, they were enjoying the gossip.
St. Basgiath was the local high school. Originally a Catholic school back in the nineteenth century, it had turned into a mainstream school. However, the use of uniforms hadn’t been removed, so students were dressed in shirts with dark navy blazers and trousers for boys and skirts for girls. The school's emblem was sewn to the blazers: two dragons soaring in the sky and twisting into a circle. They wore ties, which hung loosely around their necks. The school held a thousand students; the scale of it was huge, with many blocks and towers.
The huge assembly hall was located at the back of the school, with turrets and leading to the outside courts and fields for sports. The long hallways lead to four main blocks, which hold classrooms and study rooms. On the opposite side was the staff room and teachers' offices, with the principal's office being the biggest. The school looked old, with graying bricks and cement and a rustic look to the doors and windows. It was like something out of a fantasy world.
A loud slam of a locker was followed with a roll of eyes. Violet leaned against her locker, holding her science book close to her chest as she stared at her best friend, Rhiannon. The two were complete opposites. Violet, small and thin, had long dark hair with half of it dyed silver, the streaks waving through her dark locks. Her hazel eyes with the hints of blue and green were so unusual but stunning to look at, dark lashes fanning them. Pale skin and curves that boys would sneak a glance at. Her uniform was slightly askew, her shirt wrinkled at the bottom, her skirt looking worse for wear, and her black combat boots. She had been told a million times by the teachers to wear proper school shoes, but every time she ignored them. She did what she wanted, not what she was told.
Rhiannon, with her dark skin and long hair braided and falling down her back, was slightly taller, had a firmer physique, and had chocolate brown eyes, full lips, and a sharp jaw. Her uniform was neater, the same skirt and shirt but ironed to a crisp, and shiny black loafers. She was smart and followed the rules, unlike her unruly friend beside her.
“What do you make of this Melgren news?” Rhiannon asked.
“Who gives a shit? He’s probably had enough of us little shits and decided he’s not coming back.” No doubt Violet was a part of that little shits group. It wasn’t unknown that Violet would be sent to the principal’s office on a regular basis. No matter what she did, she was in there at least once a week. Principal Melgren, over time, had gone from being firm and strict with her to simply sighing and just handing her a detention slip for her behavior. He had enough work to do, and constantly having to discipline Violet wasn’t a task he wanted to make regular on his list.
“Don’t you mean had enough of you?” Rhiannon jokes, and Violet shoves her shoulder. Rhiannon lets out a laugh, her cheeks lifting and a bright smile flashing.
At the moment of her shoving Rihannon, the sleeve of her shirt and blazer rose up over her arm, and she distinctively pulled it down to hide the very red and very raw burn mark on her wrist. She had kept it well hidden for the last couple of days, and it was still yet to reach its healing stage.
Violet wasn't a stranger to pain, and she wasn't afraid. It was something she kept hidden, very hidden from everyone, even her mother. She didn't exactly know why she did it and why she liked it. But it gave her a sense of relief that was building inside. Maybe it was anxiety, maybe it was fear. But whatever it was, she needed it out of her and that was the only way.
“Hey, want to come to mine after school?” Rhiannon asks as they near the next class.
“Sure, my mom is so annoying at the moment, so I’d rather not spend time at home with her,” Violet groaned, just thinking about her mother. She seemed to be on her case more than ever lately, and Violet was getting fed up with it. Although she couldn’t really blame her mother. Having to come pick her up from the grocery store for trying to steal vodka isn’t exactly a point in her court. Her mother was furious with her, but she was slowly starting to give up. After her father’s death, Violet had turned into a rebel, not abiding by any laws or rules and certainly not listening to a high authority figure. At school, she lost her concentration, and teachers were beginning to get fed up of sending her outside.
Maybe it was a cry for help, or maybe it was just the way she was. Violet tried not to think about it, and most of the time she didn’t, but there were times in the day when the thoughts of herself crept inside and she felt sick. She felt like a disappointment, a failure. A nobody. Sure, she had Rihannon, but that was it. It was like no one understood her.
As they reached their next class, the other students were lazily lounging at their desks, and Mr. Kaori seemed to look like he was waiting for everyone to arrive. Nothing had been written on the board, which was very unlike Kaori, and there were no assignments handed out either.
“What’s going on?” Rihannon said with an arch of her eyebrow, and Violet shrugged as they reached the two desks at the back.
“Beats me,” Violet replied as they sank into their chairs. Students talked loudly, laughing and joking. A group of boys were mucking around in the corner, and girls were gossiping and giggling. It wasn’t until the clap of Kaori’s hands had everyone silenced and turning to him.
“Thank you, everyone. If you could follow me, we have an emergency assembly,” he simply said, with no other information, and every pair of eyes in the room looked as confused as the next. Rhiannon and Violet looked to each other with furrowed brows, and as they walked in a line to the assembly hall, whispering and murmuring about what the sudden emergency assembly was about, other classes also emerged from their rooms and followed on.
The hall was bustling with students, and they took their seats in their grade groups. The youngest were at the front, with the elders leaning to the back. The hall was filled with voices and shouting. Teachers were lining the edges of the students filling the middle of the hall until Vice Principal Aetos arrived, walking up the steps of the stage and to the podium at the front, clearing his throat into the microphone. The chatter and voices hushed down to an ominous silence, and the students waited in suspense.
“Thank you, everyone. Now I know you are probably all wondering what this emergency assembly is about. As you all know, Principal Melgren hasn’t been in for the last couple of days. We were waiting for more information before we made an announcement to everyone.”
The students waited in suspense, the silence killing them. Violet watched the crowd, eyes flickering between whispering teachers and Melgren.
“It is unfortunate that Principal Melgren will not be returning to St. Basgiath. He has been diagnosed with cancer, and after a long discussion, he thought it would be best if he focused on his health. We are truly grateful for his work and dedication to the school, and we hope he makes a speedy recovery. Principal Melgren was hoping to be here today but unfortunately isn’t in a fit state at the moment.”
The sudden rise of voices and chatter filled the hall, and students immediately started throwing out questions, shouting, “What’s going to happen?” and “Who’s taking over?” What cancer does Melgren have? The loud boom of Aetos's voice silenced the hall, and he carried on.
“However, we do have some exciting news in that we have a new principal starting with us today. Melgren wanted to make sure that he had someone he trusted to take over, and so we wanted to make sure he was settled before introducing him to you.”
“Urg, great, just what I need, a new principal.” Violet huffed and crossed her arms tightly.
“What, because now you have to behave?” Rhiannon teased.
“Yes, that’s exactly why things with Melgren were easy, probably because he didn’t have the time and energy to put up with me,” Violet responded, and Rhiannon giggled, shaking her head.
Violet huffed in her seat, glaring up at the stage. She hoped this new principal was just as old and lazy as Melgren had become in the last year so that she could go on with her rebellious nature and not have to worry about the consequences.
“So without further ado, I would like to introduce you to Principal Xaden Riorson.” Aetos stepped back from the podium, holding his hand out to announce the new principle. A thousand eyes turned as a pair of long legs stepped out from behind the curtain on the left side, wearing formal shoes that were polished and smooth. Black slacks followed, rising up to his hips and secured with a thin belt, buckled tightly and precisely. A crisp white shirt was buttoned underneath a dark jacket, and a tie was knotted tightly around the collar of the shirt, the flaps neatly hiding the banding. And when Violet’s eyes moved to his face, she stopped breathing for a second.
“Holy…”